The Slow Beauty Manifesto...

I had a look on WGSN at their visionary board, I read almost every vision for A/W 17/18 and was really glad to see the direction beauty looks to be taking. Organic and natural products are in high demand with consumers wanting more honest and transparency from leading brands. 

I came across the slow beauty manifesto and reading this was like seeing the light. I have been finding it impossible to effortlessly explain my project concept to others, this beauty buzz article was really helpful for me, it has given me more confidence in my project idea, as it time I feel like people jut don't get it and don't understand why I would want to chose something like this for my FMP  

I wish I had seen this when writing for my proposal but I stayed in the visionary section, only now have I ventured all over WGSN. 

I could not have put it better myself...

It really bugs me when when people talk about organic beauty in the sense that regular beauty products won't kill you. I think having ingredients like formaldehyde in products is surely enough to even consider they might not be as safe as first thought. But then again the majority of these people don't have a skin condition to consider when putting all these chemicals over the body.

Website header image

This was my first attempt at the header image, I found as soon as I uploaded the image onto my blog it did not look how I had hoped. The banner is too busy and does not make good use of white space, which is what I was initially trying to do, but felt it was too simple.

After uploading this image I discovered I would need to perfect balance between less and more, while less can look too simple, more is definitely too busy.  

This is my second attempt, while the banner looks much better on the page, I’m still not satisfied with how it looks.  The symbols I have chosen above the title are spiritual symbols used in the new age movement. The star represents protection, in my meaning it is that of the earth and body. The female symbol represents female energy, it is not suggesting that the content is exclusive to females, but rather the positive energy when related to yin yang. The triangle also represents protection and the crescent moon is a symbol represents balance, renewal and emotion to name a few.

 Third time lucky, here is my final banner image. I have adjusted the colour scheme and removed the sub heading. I feel it is clear and clean without being too simple. I have changed the triangle for the symbol that represents the element earth. I may adjust the heading once my content is uploaded to the blog, but I am happy with the logo.

This is a screen grab of the top of the site.

I used the 2016 Pantones released as a guide when choosing the colour pallet. 

Still life test

While I didn't produce any images I felt were usable, I got to experience the set up and get used to the space I will be spending a lot of time in. 

I have thought about potential articles to write and decided to just bring in as many props as I could carry and shoot. While this wasn't really wise, I had been putting off going into the studio waiting for the rest of my props to arrive.

 This is a book on essential oils, I bought it to learn more about aromatherapy and have found it very useful. I am thinking about writing a blog post on the book as it has just come out and using essential oils can be un-safe if done incorrectly, so its good to know. 

I realise the lighting is too low for these images, it can be fixed in photoshop but is much better to have the best quality images in the first place. Next time I will make sure to adjust the dial until I am happy. 

I test shot this book as I really like the colours on the cover, it is the exact look I want to create with my website. I like how the colours work in this image, I think the lighting was better taking these images but the angles for me don't work. I like softness the flowers create and will use these again in my future shoots. 

These images are too busy for me, I used to many props and while the colour scheme is what I am hoping to achieve I want much less, without the images being empty. I think I will struggle finding the balance. 

Domain name

Today I bought the domain name for Liladescent. I got it off 123 reg as john and Ian have suggested this website every time. I was thinking about whether or not to get a .co.uk or .com, so I did a little research on what would be best. I decided to purchase liladescent.co.uk as for one I am in the UK and I would like to be recognised as a graduate living in the UK, and also it enables the brands to see I'm based in the UK for international shipping on free products in the even the blog launch is a success. 

I paid £8.50 for the year which I thought was reasonable and when looking at website packages I expected it to be higher. .com was only a small amount more, but if i decide I want to convert to.com in the future I have the option. 

Testing Testing...

I used the new still life studio today, I have only recently found out it exists...
I love that you can control the temperature of the room, it makes it really easy to work in a comfortable environment. The first test shooting went well in the sense I was able to set up the camera and lighting with ease, but I had difficulty arranging the props I had. I was looking for really simple images but found the images looked very basic. 

I did not plan what I would do for this initial testing as I was really looking at the lighting and set up in the still life studio. This was my first time working in there.

The studio has a great vibe and I loved working in there. I enjoy that is quite and no one disturbed me so I was able to experiment by myself with no pressure.

Delivery...

The items I ordered arrived, I am pleased with the oils I purchased from Neals Yard, they look and smell interesting. 

The make-up I ordered however is not what I would like for the blog. I thought the eye-shadows were organic, but it turns out they are 16% organic and the rest is natural ingredients. While the ingredients are natural, it is not to say they have not been through a lengthy factory process resulting in something that was a natural ingredient, not to say I think NYR would do that. But i think its really important to keep to my ethos, especially at the early stages of the process. While the colours are really nice I will not be featuring this make-up on the blog as it is technically not organic. 

I am planning to test shoot with my props arriving, the crystals are on their way and should be here, but I have plenty of other props to test shoot with. 

Thinking about my website/blog

The mock website I had a go at during the proposal stage was built on Wix. i had not built a website on this platform before so found it a little difficult to navigate and customise, although I have heard it is very easy once the basics are know. 

I did not Like the colour scheme but like the image of outer space, the image is animated and swirls around. I would like to create an animated home page as I find them the most enjoyable sites to visit. 

I have decided for now I will use Wordpress  to create my blog, I am not 100% sure on this decision as there is still the option of using Muse when the lesson with John comes round. I know I don't want to use blogger as I don't like the templates and layout, I find it hard to achieve a professional look. 

I have been looking at examples of other green beauty bloggers and seen some examples of what I don't want to produce...

Looking at a few organic beauty bloggers ‘about me’ page I have found what I would like to avoid in my text, here is Amanda from theorganicbunny.com, her mission is to prove that an organic lifestyle can still be glamorous, which personally I feel is a much known fact among the organic beauty community, with the likes of Amanda Kerr choosing organic products.

As well as organic beauty there is a ‘home’ section on Organic Bunny, I was confused to find a hot pink plastic kitchen appliances set, which is not organic, environmentally friendly or natural. It shouldn’t be there in my eyes, so I am hoping not to make mistakes like this that would cause my readers to lose faith or interest in my blog. 

Product Sourcing

Neal’s Yard Remedies

Jojoba oil, Argon oil & Avocado oil

I bought these three oils, a 100ml of jojoba for £17.00 and two 50ml exotic oils, the argon is more expensive at £17.50 and the avocado was £7.50. I had been doing some research for my dissertation on natural botanicals oils and decided these were the best oils to start off with.

Make-up

Powder eye shadow x 2

Lip-gloss

I have heard NYR is one of the best places to buy botanical oils and blends from, I first found out about them when I spotted the store in Covent Garden, I love the deep blue bottles the products come in, for the final images I think the deep blue would look much better when incorporated into my colour palette than the alternative deep amber bottles.

I am eager to try out the products, I am most curious to see if organic products preform as well as I’d hope. I am also open to the products being different from what I am used to; I have an open mind on the matter.

On the left is shade Hibiscus and the right is Cocoa. I bought a shimmery and matte so I could have an example of both finishes. These shades are what I thought would look best on a wide range of models. I love the copper eye shadow trend so thought I could possible re-create the look with careful cosmetics.

I chose the natural shade of lip-gloss, as it was the closest to clear; I want a clear gloss, as I will be able to use it more freely in conjunction with other products. As I am rebuilding my kit I would like to try and buy the most versatile products.

Prop Sourcing

Starchild Tarot Deck

            “The Starchild Tarot is a unique, cosmic deck that touches on various themes and styles connected with magic, spiritualism, and the wonders of the Universe. Through these colourful gateways, the reader may awaken to new ways of perceiving the Tarot and the nature of Consciousness.”

After browsing on Instagram one evening I came across the Starchild tarot deck, and I immediately fell in love.  The colour scheme is what initially drew me in, I adore the balancing pantones brought out earlier in the year, and I feel the pink and blue are very close to Serenity and Rose quartz,

I plan to use the cards as props in the still life shoots, either creating piles or laying them flat as a background for macro photography.

Angel Aura

Angel Aura’s are a type of enhanced quartz; I’ve noticed this is a really popular stone among Instagram jewellery trends.  Bonded with silver, gold or platinum, the stones are considered luxury in the category of semi-precious jewels. The iridescence has gained popularity and the rainbows captured are admired. 

I have purchased three stones of varying sizes to add colour and interest in my images. Below is a Tanzine blue aura quartz. I think the colour is exquisite and think it is a nice piece to have in still life. This piece was £21.00 and is being shipped from America, but should not take too long to arrive.

I also purchased two pieces of clear angel aura quartz; this stone is the most popular among the treated stones so thought it would appeal and help create the proposed aesthetic.

I already have the majority of the stones and crystal props I think I will need, however I will keep an eye out in case there are additions to be made.